Glucuronidase Activity in Intestinal Contents of Rat and Man and Relationship to Bacterial Flora

Abstract

Bacterial type β-glucuronidase activity is absent in human feces at birth and increases in human and rat feces with age. In rats there is an association of glucuronidase activity with increases in anaerobic flora. Antibiotics which reduce the anaerobic flora eliminate enzyme activity from rat cecal content in vivo and in cultures. Gross cultures of rat cecal content produce glucuronidase only under anaerobic conditions and enzyme production rapidly diminishes in the absence of substrate (glucuronide). Isolation of individual organisms that released glucuronidase into the media was difficult and required maintenance of strict anaerobic conditions and substrate in the media. A variety of anaerobes were found to produce the enzyme.